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Thursday June 3, 2004
A wing and a prayer?
Yesterday morning, I caught a bit of Stephen Harper's interview with a local radio station. He was decent, though banter will clearly never be his strong suit, but that's beside the point.
Just as I turned it on, I heard the Conservative leader complaining about being harrassed for eating a chicken wing. I confess that I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, and didn't for much of the day. But then I opened the front section of the Star, and found a large three-picture series showing Harper munching on a wing in graphic detail.
You know you're desperate when the best way you can find to demonize a candidate is by showing unattractive pictures of him eating finger food. What the Star did was an old trick, but you won't often see it so clumsily executed.
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Tuesday June 1, 2004
I speak for the masses
Today, the Post is launching a third comment page. It'll focus heavily on regional issues, with columns each day from different parts of the country.
You'll note a familiar face (well, somewhat familiar...I swear I don't look quite as creepy as my "head furniture") on today's page, and probably every Tuesday. That's right...I am Ontario. Ontario is me. We are one.
Or, um, something like that. Maybe they'd better find someone else to market this thing.
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Adam Radwanski
What a Dick
While I was sitting around a local establishment after a ball hockey game last night, Paul Martin's campaign ad - the one where he's showing his common touch by hanging around an exclusive cottage - came on, minus the sound. First thing I noticed was that they did something weird to his hair. First thing my friend sitting next to me noticed was that he looked a bit like Richard Nixon.
That can't be a good sign.
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Monday May 31, 2004
And you thought Catherine Clark's Star column was bad...
I didn't think yesterday's ruminations on lawn signs were particularly weighty, even by this blog's standards. But that was before I read Ben Mulroney's column on the same subject, which made them seem downright profound by comparison.
I'm normally not a fan of throwing stones at other writers or media outlets - partly because I know it's much harder to build a case in print than it is to tear it down, and partly because I'm not sure anyone in the real world is interested. But for crying out loud, this guy's had a newspaper column handed to him at a pivotal moment in Canadian history, and he's producing some of the most mundane drivel imaginable.
The day the writ was dropped, he took up most of his space whining that the election would spoil his summer. Now, he wants us to know that he doesn't like lawn signs, because they're ugly and they're apparently prone to "campaign abuses." Honestly, you have to read this thing - especially the payoff in the final paragraph, which I really can't do justice here.
Snicker about the Sun all you like, but I know plenty of young journalists who'd kill for Mulroney's slot. If he's not going to make good use of it, he should give it to somebody who would.
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Sunday May 30, 2004
Sign of the times?
Having driven through a bunch of ridings the past few days, I'm struck by how badly the Liberals are losing the sign war. Even in some of the ridings where their incumbents should be safe, they barely have a presence next to the Conservative or NDP candidates.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't put too much stock in this. I know from experience that half the time, homeowners agree to take a sign just so you'll get off their doorstep. But it's hard to ignore such a pervasive trend, and I'm thinking there are two reasons.
First, obviously, is a lack of strong supporters. That's not the same as a lack of people who'll vote for then, of whom there may still be many. But few are enthused enough about it to broadcast it on their front lawns.
Second is probably a lack of manpower. More than anything, signs are a reflection of the number of volunteers available to solicit locations and put them up. And, again, there may be plenty of Canadians willing to hold their noses and vote Liberal - but there aren't a hell of a lot marching into campaign offices and pledging their allegiance.
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Radwanski's Ramblings from May 21-27, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from May 14-20, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from May 7-13, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from April 23-May 6, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from April 16-22, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from April 9-15, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from April 2-8, 2004
Radwanski's Ramblings from March 26-April 1, 2004
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